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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. lash — an eyelash
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. bulb — for light
  4. toast — a drink to someone
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. row — to paddle
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. row — a line
  11. game — wild animals
  12. toast — bread
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. cell — in biology
  15. toast — the most admired
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. bulb — for light
  18. game — a match
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. cell — a phone
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. sharp — clever

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com